One outside influence that has affected me for my entire life would have to be my mother's mom, my grandma, Nana K. My grandmother grew up on a farm in the
midwest. She worked from sunrise to sunset and never complained once. Ida Katherine was one of four, having two sisters and one brother. Her father was a
hardworking man, addicted to alcohol. Her mother was the ideal image of beauty, as well as a loyal and fiercely loving mother. The farm bored my grandmother, and
she wished for a better life. At 17, she became a mother to my Aunt Dana, getting married right out of high school. Needless to say both parents were disappointed,
but supported her nonetheless. She started working a paying job, got married, and raised her child for the next few years. Happiness was not in the cards for her at
this stage in life, and her husband was the cause of that. She couldn't keep working, due to the fact that her alcoholic husband abusing her. Divorce ensued, and
she was alone again. She moved to New Rochelle, New York, where she met my grandfather Jeffery New. A mountain of a man, he coached the local football team,
worked as a firefighter, was a painter and a handyman. My mother and her twin Cindy were born in my grandmothers twenty-first year of life. After that, she had a
drive to learn, and a drive to succeed more than people believed she would. She went back to school, and became a nurse. She worked full-time after that, and
taught other would-be nurses about certain types of surgeries they would perform on people's kidneys. This woman is still a huge part of my life now, and inspires
me everyday to prove myself. To make myself better. Whenever I am feeling that I do not have the strength to continue my education, relationships, or hardships in
general, I think of my grandmother, or call her, to get back on track. I have always admired how hard of a worker she was, but I did not realize how strong she truly
midwest. She worked from sunrise to sunset and never complained once. Ida Katherine was one of four, having two sisters and one brother. Her father was a
hardworking man, addicted to alcohol. Her mother was the ideal image of beauty, as well as a loyal and fiercely loving mother. The farm bored my grandmother, and
she wished for a better life. At 17, she became a mother to my Aunt Dana, getting married right out of high school. Needless to say both parents were disappointed,
but supported her nonetheless. She started working a paying job, got married, and raised her child for the next few years. Happiness was not in the cards for her at
this stage in life, and her husband was the cause of that. She couldn't keep working, due to the fact that her alcoholic husband abusing her. Divorce ensued, and
she was alone again. She moved to New Rochelle, New York, where she met my grandfather Jeffery New. A mountain of a man, he coached the local football team,
worked as a firefighter, was a painter and a handyman. My mother and her twin Cindy were born in my grandmothers twenty-first year of life. After that, she had a
drive to learn, and a drive to succeed more than people believed she would. She went back to school, and became a nurse. She worked full-time after that, and
taught other would-be nurses about certain types of surgeries they would perform on people's kidneys. This woman is still a huge part of my life now, and inspires
me everyday to prove myself. To make myself better. Whenever I am feeling that I do not have the strength to continue my education, relationships, or hardships in
general, I think of my grandmother, or call her, to get back on track. I have always admired how hard of a worker she was, but I did not realize how strong she truly
was until I was able to hear her story.